Following an inconsistent career, Brandon Garrison officially bails on Kentucky

The turbulent, rollercoaster era of Brandon Garrison in Lexington is officially over.

Garrison is following Jasper Johnson straight to the transfer portal. His time in a Kentucky uniform was mired in wild ups and downs that never allowed the big man to truly get going or establish trust with the coaching staff or the fanbase. You never knew what you were getting when he stepped on the floor.

For BBN, watching Garrison play was an exercise in pure frustration, and now that will be another team's problem.

The maddening flashes of greatness vs. the disappearing acts

There were genuine flashes of absolute greatness where Garrison looked like a dominant SEC big man. He is a former McDonald's All-American after all. But he always seemed to play with a massive chip on his shoulder against his former team, Oklahoma, including a monster 20-point, 11-rebound double-double this season.

He also showed up huge defensively when it mattered most, throwing a massive block party with six rejections against Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament to help Kentucky advance.

But for every dominant performance, there was an inexplicable no-show.

When the lights were brightest in the SEC Tournament, Garrison completely vanished against Florida, logging a disastrous zero points and just one single rebound while Florida pushed him around. Even worse, he was outright benched earlier this year by Mark Pope for a blatant lack of effort on the floor after a turnover. You can survive missed shots, but you cannot survive a lack of hustle from a junior who should be leading your team.

The undeniable statistical regression

When you look at Garrison's career numbers, his decision to hit the portal to find a new home for his senior season makes complete sense. He has actually regressed statistically every single year of his college career, and that is dangerous for anyone to invest in. But someone will.

During his freshman season at Oklahoma State, he was on the floor for 22.6 minutes a night, averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. By the time this past junior season wrapped up under Mark Pope, his playing time had dropped to just 16.2 minutes a night, while his production dipped to a career-low 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.

The fit just wasn't there. Garrison needed a fresh start, and Mark Pope desperately needs a big man he can consistently rely on from night to night.

Now, Garrison will look to play his senior season somewhere else, and Kentucky has yet another massive hole to fill in the frontcourt.